Police Scotland can deal with Trump visit, says chief

A senior officer has insisted Police Scotland has the resources it needs to deal with a visit by Donald Trump, despite warnings from the Scottish Police Federation.

The US president is expected to travel to his golf resort at Menie, Aberdeenshire, later this month.

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs told the BBC that a visit would not "come at the expense" of Scotland's communities.

However the Scottish Police Federation says that the force does not have sufficient resources, and that Trump's arrival would lead to officers being unable to respond to some calls.

There have also been warnings that Trump's visit will come at considerable expense to the taxpayer, with one former police chief estimating it will cost more than £5m.

DCC Speirs told BBC Scotland News the force was in the "early stages" of planning for Trump's arrival later this month. The White House is yet to comment.

DCC Speirs insisted Police Scotland would have sufficient resources for the visit, but said it may still ask for additional help from other UK forces under "mutual aid" agreements, particularly for officers with specialist skills.

"We'll work closely with the government to give the public some reassurance that this doesn't come at the expense of how we serve the communities of Scotland," he said.

The senior officer said Police Scotland would also work with ministers "to ensure the costs of policing such an event are recovered".

The Trump Organisation owns courses in Aberdeenshire and at Turnberry in South Ayrshire.

Trump's last presidential visit in 2018 prompted a major security operation and large protests in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

DCC Speirs said Police Scotland had expertise in policing protests and encouraged anyone planning to attend demonstrations to abide by the law.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said the timing of the presidential visit was "unfortunate" during a "particularly busy time for annual leave for police officers".

He said he hoped the "massive" deployment would not lead to an increase in day-to-day crime.

"I'd like to hope not but certainly there will be an increase in police officers not being able to attend certain calls and police officers [not] attending certain incidents," Kennedy told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime.

However, he said he did not believe the public would be put at further risk as a result of the visit.

The bigger risk, Kennedy told the BBC, would be to police officers asked to work 12-hour shifts - something he called "unacceptable".

"Public safety is first and foremost," he said. "But you're not going to see as many police officers as you may have seen because they'll be away on other duties."

The police federation chief said specialist units, such as firearms officers, would be required from other parts of the UK.

"But all of that obviously comes at a cost which comes out of the people of Scotland's budget for policing," he added.

Parm Sandhu, a former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent, said the costs of the policing operation would be "huge".

"When you look at these sorts of state visits the costs are upwards of £5m," she told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland.

"Police Scotland will not be able to manage the resource requirement alone because for this sort of visit there will be about 5,000 police officers needed, and they'll be working 12-hour shifts."

Sandhu said up to 10,000 officers might need to be mobilised across different sites, as well the deployment of helicopters and motorcades.

"Unfortunately whether it's the UK government or it's the government in Scotland, the cost will fall to the British taxpayer," she added.

Trump's last visit was in 2023, when he and son Eric broke ground on the new 18-hole course at the Aberdeenshire resort.

It was originally announced as the MacLeod Course - after Trump's Lewis-born mother, Mary - but last month Trump International said the name had been changed to the "New Course".

Among those who have vowed to protest is Scottish Green leadership contender Ross Greer, who called the president a "dangerous extremist".

He told the BBC that he would be protesting "in solidarity with the people in the US and across the world who are already suffering as a result of Donald Trump".

As well as the visit to Scotland, the president is expected to make a full state visit to the UK this year, most likely in September.

The Scottish government said it was working with the UK government to support Police Scotland, and that first minister John Swinney had been briefed on police preparations.